of Nokounam, (Session 135)
The Holy Quran, akin to a profound and boundless ocean, serves not only as a source of knowledge and contemplation but also as a guide for an elevated and practical way of life manifested in human conduct and behaviour. Verse 3 of Surah Al-Baqarah (
Those who believe in the Unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them
) constitutes the central focus of this treatise, which examines the concept of belief in the Unseen from a psychological and mystical perspective within a practical and functional framework.
This interpretation, composed in a refined and dignified style, is intended for specialised audiences within academic settings, enriched through literary metaphors and allusions, whilst preserving its scientific and scholarly essence. The objective is to elucidate belief in the Unseen as a dynamic existential state that manifests in human conduct and attains perfection through righteous deeds and almsgiving.
Belief in the Unseen transcends a theoretical or scholastic concept; it is a dynamic existential state manifested in human behaviour and conduct. This belief, like a light within the heart, demonstrates its effects in the realm of action and distinguishes itself from purely theoretical discussions. The Holy Quran introduces faith not as mere formal knowledge, but as an experiential phenomenon that is reflected in daily life and human behaviour.
For researchers, this viewpoint necessitates the study of faith as a psychological and mystical phenomenon that appears in practical behaviours and social interactions of human beings.
The Prophets, Imams, and the Divine Saints, instead of establishing schools for theoretical instruction, created practical workshops aimed at nurturing faith. These workshops implemented belief in the Unseen within the sphere of action, guiding the faithful towards an elevated mode of existence.
This point emphasises the exemplary role of the Prophets in the practical education of believers. For academic audiences, it calls for a reconsideration of educational methodologies based on practical models.
The effects and characteristics of belief in the Unseen emerge not in conceptual and formal awareness but within an applied and practical context. The Holy Quran presents faith as a state manifesting itself in daily human behaviour and decision-making, rather than in purely theoretical discourse.
This distinction introduces faith as an experiential and practical phenomenon, prompting researchers to analyse it within the frameworks of behavioural psychology and practical mysticism.
The Quran rarely mentions faith alone; it frequently associates it with righteous action, as in the verse
Those who believe and do righteous deeds (Al-Baqarah: 277)
. This continuity indicates the necessity of action as a complement and criterion for the actualisation of faith.
For educated audiences, this connection underscores the importance of studying faith as a reciprocal process encompassing both belief and action.
In cases where faith is mentioned in isolation in the Quran, the criterion remains a practical and functional context rather than conceptual or theoretical awareness. Even in these instances, faith intrinsically carries a practical dimension linked to human behaviour and conduct.
This highlights the necessity of analysing faith within the framework of practical and behavioural functions, urging researchers to examine Quranic verses from a practical perspective.
Faith, derived from the root أمن (security), signifies psychological security. This security is realised when the soul is protected from polytheism, ostentation, and external disturbances. Faith, like a steadfast shield, preserves the heart from inner and outer turmoil.
From a psychological standpoint, faith as an existential state protects the heart from anxiety and psychological insecurity, presenting a compelling reason for researchers to study it within the domain of health psychology.
The Tranquil Self (النفس المطمئنة), by virtue of faith, transforms into a divine trust, which God guards against error and flaw. This transformation denotes a high station of faith, elevating the self to the rank of divine trust.
This perspective aligns with Islamic mystical and philosophical concepts and urges academic audiences to examine faith as an existential and elevated process.
God appoints custodians from among the angels for the soul of the believer, who has become a divine trust, to protect it from death and harm. This divine protection connects faith with divine guardianship.
This concept emphasises divine support for believers through celestial and terrestrial beings, calling upon researchers to analyse the nexus between faith and theology.
When the believers soul becomes a divine trust, it is protected like a precious object under divine guardianship and safeguarded from betrayal. This metaphor presents faith as an elevated state that shields the soul from harm.
For educated audiences, this metaphor stresses the importance of studying faith as a protective mechanism against psychological and spiritual harm.
The believers heart, filled with faith in the Unseen, resembles a glass filled with water through which fear, disease, and viruses cannot penetrate. This metaphor portrays faith as an existential shield that preserves the heart from anxiety and contamination.
From a psychological perspective, this image corresponds with the concept of psychological resilience, encouraging researchers to analyse faith as a protective factor.
Despite calamities and afflictions, the believer maintains psychological security owing to faith in the Unseen, even if affliction increases through allegiance (البلاء للولاء). This paradox illustrates the power of faith in generating tranquillity amid lifes storms.
This view presents faith as a psychological mechanism that fosters calmness and stability in the face of lifes challenges.
The believers heart resembles a wall upon which calamities strike without effect, in contrast to the heart of the non-believer where calamities penetrate. This analogy depicts faith as a protective shield against external and internal harms.
For researchers, this metaphor underscores the necessity of studying faith as a resilience factor within psychology.
If calamities and afflictions penetrate the heart and cause distress, this indicates weakness in faith and the need to strengthen it. This criterion introduces faith as a measurable state that manifests through reactions to adversities.
This point highlights the importance of self-assessment and reinforcement of faith in confronting lifes challenges and calls for psychological analysis of faith among academic audiences.
Faith in the Unseen is akin to a bulletproof vest that protects the believers heart from the adverse effects of calamities and threats, even minimising pain. This metaphor introduces faith as a protective mechanism.
This image aligns with modern psychological concepts such as resilience and psychological protection, urging researchers to conduct comparative studies of faith and psychological constructs.
The verse وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ
(and they establish prayer) links faith in the unseen with the establishment of prayer. Prayer, as an act of worship, is the tangible manifestation of faith that connects the believers heart to God.
This connection emphasises the necessity of devotional practice as a complement to faith and poses the necessity for researchers to analyse the relationship between faith and religious rituals.
The verse وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ
(and from what We have provided them, they spend) links faith with almsgiving. Almsgiving, as a benevolent act, manifests faith in social behaviour.
This perspective introduces faith as a practical state that is expressed through benevolence and almsgiving, highlighting the necessity for academic audiences to study faith within the framework of social behaviours.
The verse فَإِذَا أَمِنْتُمْ فَتَمَتَّعُوا بِالْعُمْرَةِ
(Al-Baqarah: 196; So when you are secure, then perform Umrah) considers faith as a prerequisite for spiritual enjoyment of acts of worship.
This verse introduces faith as a prerequisite for benefiting from devotional and spiritual acts, urging researchers to analyse the connection between faith and religious rituals.
The verse فَإِذَا أَمِنْتُمْ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ
(Al-Baqarah: 239; So when you are secure, remember God) conditions the remembrance of God upon faith and security.
This condition indicates a profound link between faith and divine remembrance, underscoring the necessity of sincerity in worship.
Remembrance of God without faith is mere tongue-twisting and darkens the heart, like an ICU sparking and burning due to malfunction. This critique emphasises the necessity of faith as the foundation of remembrance and worship and warns against formalistic acts.
For educated audiences, this view stresses the necessity of analysing sincerity in devotional acts and its impact on spiritual health.
The verse وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا
(Al-Baqarah: 14; And when they meet those who believe, they say, We believe) criticises hypocritical (formal) faith.
This critique highlights the distinction between true faith and formal faith, emphasising the necessity of sincerity in faith. For researchers, this perspective necessitates analysing faith within the framework of honesty and sincerity.
The verse يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ
(Al-Baqarah: 172; O you who have believed, eat from the good things We have provided you) invites the faithful to consume pure sustenance.
This verse links faith with the choice of pure and wholesome sustenance, emphasising its effect on spiritual health.
The consumption of impure sustenance leads the believer towards misery and weakens faith. Impure sustenance, like a contaminated morsel, darkens the heart and soul.
This critique stresses the necessity of selecting pure sustenance and its impact on faith and human felicity, urging researchers to analyse the influence of material factors on spiritual health.
The verse يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا
(Al-Baqarah: 267; O you who have believed, spend) connects faith with almsgiving and righteous deeds.
This connection introduces faith as a practical state manifesting in benevolence and almsgiving.
Faith in the Holy Quran is never absolute; it is always conditioned by knowledge, action, stipulations, prohibitions, or characteristics. This conditionality introduces faith as a dynamic state contingent on its factors and consequences.
For researchers, this point necessitates analysing faith as a multidimensional process.
Faith depends on knowledge (burhn lam) and action (burhn inn). The absence of either renders faith incomplete. Without knowledge, faith is baseless; without action, faith is fruitless.
This logical analysis introduces faith as a comprehensive process whose two main pillars are knowledge and action.
Faith is likened to a vast tree with multiple branches, whose conditions, effects, prohibitions, and commands form its structure. This metaphor introduces faith as a complex and multidimensional structure manifesting in various aspects of life.
For educated audiences, this metaphor urges the study of faith as a comprehensive and multifaceted system.
The verse إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ
(Ash-Shuar: 107; Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger) links faith with trustworthiness and being reliable.
This connection introduces faith as a state that leads to trust and responsibility.
Formal faith lacks value; only faith that results in trust and action is valid. This critique stresses the necessity of sincerity and action in faith and warns against superficial claims.
For researchers, this perspective necessitates analysing the distinction between true and formal faith.
Man must, by examining dangers and challenges, draw closer to pure sustenance, kindness, and compassion so that faith in the unseen is realised. This advice introduces faith as a practical and self-development-centred process manifested in behaviour.
For educated audiences, this view highlights the necessity of studying faith as a process of self-improvement and existential transformation.
The phrase يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ غَيْبًا غَيْبًا
is not an absolute object but a moment-by-moment movement towards the unseen that draws man nearer to God. This view introduces remembrance of the unseen as a dynamic and transformative remembrance that deepens faith.
This concept is consistent with practical mysticism and calls for researchers to analyse remembrance as a transformative process.
If man approaches the unseen moment by moment, it is a sign of felicity; stagnation at the starting point signals no progress in faith. This criterion introduces faith as a dynamic and measurable process manifested in movement towards God.
For academic audiences, this view necessitates analysing faith as a dynamic and assessable process.
Prayer for success in worship and servitude is the outcome of faith in the unseen and draws man closer to the practical realisation of faith. This prayer introduces faith as a state connected to divine success and endeavour in servitude.
This point emphasises the connection between faith and divine success, urging researchers to analyse the relationship between faith and prayer.
The exegesis of the third verse of Surah Al-Baqarah (الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ
) with a psychological and mystical approach reveals the depth and comprehensiveness of Quranic teachings. Faith in the unseen, like a pure tree, is manifested not in theoretical discussions but within the realm of human practice and conduct. This faith attains perfection through knowledge (burhn lam) and action (burhn inn), transforming the believers heart into a divine trust. Faith, like a bulletproof vest, protects the heart from afflictions and anxiety, reaching perfection through pure sustenance, almsgiving, and remembrance of God. The critique of formal faith and emphasis on pure sustenance reveal the necessity of sincerity and action in faith. The remembrance غيباً غيباً
is a moment-by-moment movement towards the unseen that brings man closer to God. This exegesis, emphasising self-improvement, righteous deeds, and prayer for success in servitude, offers a practical path for realising faith in the unseen and alleviating existential confusion.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi
